Karen Mildred Barks was born in Lamar, CO on September 16, 1940. To Louise and Niels Hansen. The family moved to a farm South of Las Animas in 1943. Karen married William Barks on September 1, 1961; they divorced in 1997.
 Karen graduated from Bent County High School , Colorado State University and from a Dietetics internship with the Veterans Hospital in Huston, TX. She was employed for 11 years at Colorado State University’s residence hall food service. The family moved to Las Animas, where she was employed for 16 years as the Dietitian for the Arkansas Valley Region al Medical Center, and was responsible for food service in the hospital and nursing homes. Karen was also employed as a consultant Dietitian for the Bent County Nursing Home, the Title VII Program and Head Start , and also served as a board member of Bent County Memorial Nursing Home. In 1998 she was employed as a Dietitian by the Fort Lyon VA Hospital where she became the Chief Dietitian in 1991. Karen earned her master’s degree in Health Care Administration from CU-Denver, and went on to become a primary care program manager and was responsible for VA Clinics in Alamosa, La Junta and Lamar, CO.
 Karen retired in 2004 and moved to Mesa, AZ, where she was active in the lives of her grandchildren. Organizations in which she was an active member were; PEO (women’s Philanthropic Educational Organization), the NSDAR(Daughter of the American Revolution) , The National Society Colonial Dames XVII, The national Society of the Dames of the Court Of Honor, Daughters of Union Veterans Civil War 1861-1865 Margret Warner Tent #1, and member of the Gold Canyon United Methodist Church. Karen loved to travel and adventure with her family and her dear friend Mary Williams, and loved spending summers in Alaska with her son Ronald and his family.
 Karen is survived by her three sons: Ronald Barks (married to Lucy) and their two children, Savana and Garrett; Willard Barks (married to Tania) and their tow children Jonathan (married to Brianne) and Victoria; and Niels Barks (married to Kaity) and their two children , Tucker and Chloe; her twin sisters Ellen Clevenger (married to Robert) and Helen Bendzsa; and her brother Harold Hansen (married to Libby)
 A celebration of life will be held for Karen at the United Methodist Church in Las Animas on November 5, 2022. Friends and family can start gathering at 1100am, service will start at 1200. After the service at the church, there will be a short grave side service at the Bent County-Las Animas Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to share a meal at the church starting around 1245pm.